🦷 A 200,000-year-old Denisovan that changes the story

Scientists sequenced a Denisovan tooth from Siberia, only the second high-quality Denisovan genome.

This older Denisovan carries ~3.6–5.2% Neandertal DNA, compared to ~1.8–2.5% in the younger Denisovan, which means there were several mixing events.

The data reveal at least three Denisovan lineages. Oceanians have the highest Denisovan ancestry today, and the patterns point to separate encounters with modern humans: an early southern route (South Asia to Oceania) and a later northern route into East Asia.

Takeaway: Denisovan DNA in us comes from multiple groups and multiple contacts, not a single event.

Source: Peyrégne et al., 2025. A high-coverage genome from a 200,000-year-old Denisovan.